Dragons: Abducted
by epicNightFury503
Summary: When a pack of Changewings invade the village, Hiccup and Astrid have to drive them off. But, when Astrid suddenly disappears, Hiccup is worried sick and goes on a determined hunt to find her. On the way, they encounter Changewings and impossible obstacles. Author's Note: This is not technically my story; my friend came up with it, and wanted me to write it for her.


# Dragons: Abducted #  
Abducted

Prologue

It started out as a normal week. Hiccup had just turned seventeen, and Astrid's birthday was in a month. The village had celebrated Hiccup's birthday; the chief, the future chief, and the future chief's girlfriend (depending on whether he had one or not) always had birthday ceremonies. The rest of the week was supposed to be uneventful. Then, one night, the village was overrun. Two packs of different dragon species invaded the village. Everyone fought gallantly, and rejoiced when the dragons retreated...until they did a head count. Someone was missing.  
And, it did NOT please Hiccup in the slightest.

Ch. 1

Earlier that night...

"Toothless, calm down and go to sleep. There's nothing out there."  
Toothless barked at Hiccup worriedly. "But, master, something's coming!" "Toothless," Hiccup sighed tiredly. "You're not gonna die. You're just jumpy because of what happened six months ago, and you've been doing this every other night since then. So, cut it out for once and let me sleep." Toothless whimpered and laid his head on his paws nervously. Something was out there, he knew it. But Hiccup was too tired to listen. True, Toothless had been seeing and hearing and sensing things that weren't even there since Hiccup had nearly been killed by Toothless's aunt, but this time there WAS something. Toothless kept an eye open and stared out the skylight. Hiccup was already asleep...or maybe it had been an hour and Toothless had lost track of time. He didn't know. Then, something small and gray flitted past the skylight. More followed, and tendrils of smoke started seeping in through the boards of the house. Toothless sat straight up. Smothering Smokebreaths. That's what they were. But, there was also something else out there, something large, deadly, and virtually invisible. Toothless ran up to Hiccup's bed and nudged him awake. The teenager grumbled for a second, then coughed as a cloud of smoke from the Smokebreaths worked its way into his nose. "Wha? Toothless, stop with the-" Then Hiccup sat up. "-Smoke. Smokebreaths. C'mon, Toothless! Let's see what we can do about these little thieves!" Hiccup ran down the steps, but didn't grab his vest, because it wasn't there. He had gotten rid of it a month ago, for he was working on a new outfit. He still had his tunic and leggings, but he now had a belt for his fire-sword (which he was currently modifying), shoulder pads, and armbands.  
Hiccup grabbed his fire-sword from the weapons rack and hooked it to his belt. His father was already out there, saddling up Skullcrusher. "Son! We've been infested by Smokebreaths!," he bellowed. "Yeah, figured that," Hiccup said hurriedly. "How many do you think are there?" "Not the foggiest clue," Stoick shrugged. "Probably a pack twenty strong, that'd have to be my guess." "Okay," Hiccup thought sarcastically, for his father's guesses were always at least half what they needed to be. "Start at twenty, subtract six, add the original number, and multiply by three. That's how many there are." Hiccup hopped on Toothless and took off after a cloud of living smoke. Astrid joined him along the way. Hiccup noticed her shoulder pads wer gone. "They took my shoulder pads again," Astrid said. "I need them back! You'll have to be careful; you and Toothless are wearing more metal than the rest of us." Hiccup glanced at his foot. "Yeah," he said. "They didn't get it last time, I'll make sure they don't get it this time." Hiccup sped into the cloud of Smokebreaths, with his left arm outstretched and the fire-sword brandished. The small dragons split and scattered, looking like a flying shoal of kipper. Hiccup chased away the one group, then turned to Astrid. "Why'd they come here?," he thought aloud. "They live all the way on Breakneck Bog. They're scavengers, but what were they following?" Astrid shrugged helplessly, and then someone screamed. Hiccup looked down, and a villager was running away from...nothing. "Changewings," Hiccup muttered. "Man, I am SO done with these things! When will they EVER leave us alone?! Astrid, you handle the Smokebreaths, I'll take care of the Changewings." Astrid nodded and took off toward the terrier-sized dragons. Hiccup flew after the shimmering air, shooting plasma blasts at them and scaring them out of hiding. Each one would start out as nothing, then, a red dragon would appear out of nowhere and fly off.  
Then, after everyone thought the Changewings were gone, they randomly appeared in the town square. The pack was fighting over something, but what, exactly, was unclear. Hiccup landed and hopped off Toothless. He ran into the mass of dragons and waved his fire-sword around. The dragons spooked and flew off, the Smokebreaths following eagerly. The Vikings cheered and gave each other high-fives and hearty slaps on the back. Random dragon attacks weren't much of a concern anymore, now that, if you didn't have a dragon, you were in the minority.  
Still, Stoick decided to count everyone and make sure his entire tribe was there. He went over it once, counted up to the entire population, then double-checked. The second time he got a grim face. "We're a head short," he said gruffly. Hiccup felt his heart in his mouth, and he started to panic. He looked around the crowd, just to make sure, but it was true, and there was nothing he could do.  
"Where's Astrid?"

Ch. 2

All Astrid remembered was being in the wrong place at the wrong time. A swarm of dragons, a cloud of wings and legs and tails. She vaguely remembered being thrown off Stormfly and hearing the crack of bone against rock as she hit the ground. Astrid shook her head and looked at her leg. It didn't look right; it was swollen and bent slightly in a place where there wasn't supposed to be a bend. Astrid resisted the urge to retch and instead looked at her arms. This was a mistake, because all she saw were red claws wrapped around each of her forearms. She looked up and saw the pale cream underbelly of a Changewing carrying her to Thor knows where. Astrid tried to wriggle free, but the Changewing merely adjusted its grip and gave Astrid an evil look. Astrid was an intelligent girl, and she decided she'd better hold still and keep her mouth shut in order to live longer. Pretty soon an island appeared through some sort of mist. It really wasn't mist at all, just the Smokebreaths swarming the Changewings in hope of a free meal. Astrid closed her eyes and tried not to open them and look down. "Oh, Great Odin's Ghost," she cursed over and over again. "Please, Thor, if you're even listening right now, I could really use Hiccup's help, which would also be your help, so just get him over here in the next two seconds?" Nothing happened, and the stars just stared back cooly at Astrid, cold and uncaring. Finally Astrid couldn't take the silence (she had never been one for patience). "LET GO OF ME, YOU SON OF A HALF-TROLL, RAT-EATING, SLUDGE-BUCKET!," she yelled defiantly. The Changewing simply grinned at Astrid and did as she wanted. It dropped her, and another Changewing caught her right before she hit the water. It grabbed Astrid by the legs, and she yelped in pain when the dragon yanked on her injured leg. This Changewing then flipped her upward, and another one caught her around the middle. This game of "Catch-the-Prey" continued for about ten minutes, and it finally ended when the dragons reached the land. Astrid recognized this place. She'd been here at least three times before. The most recent was about two years ago, and Ruffnut had saved an injured Scaudron from Changewings by cutting her braids and tying them together to make a splint. Astrid did NOT appreciate this day at all, because she had been stuck with Snotlout for most of it. That was when he liked her; now it was Ruffnut he was chasing.  
All this said, Astrid knew where she was now. Changewing Island, or, as she liked to call it, the Isle of Guaranteed Death. The Changewings landed in a clearing on the beach, and they had apparently made a den out of the collapsed rocks and trees that had trapped Scauldy in an earthquake. Astrid didn't want to be here now; it once was the site of a miracle, now it was the site of Astrid's death...probably, because Hiccup would most likely swoop in randomly at the last minute and save her...again.  
The Changewing carrying her set Astrid down on the sand. Had her leg been fine, she would've just run off then. But, there was no way she was going anywhere, and the entire pack was watching her. The Smokebreaths were roosting in the trees, waiting for someone to take the first bite. Mother Changewings with hatchlings were watching hungrily. Astrid just wanted to disappear, wanted to teleport back home. She curled into an attempted ball, leaving her right leg out, and cried. All she wanted right now was Hiccup's arms around her, telling her that everything was going to be all right.  
But that's not what reality wanted.

Hiccup ran his fingers through his hair worriedly. What had taken her? Which dragon species was it that had abducted her? Where was she? Was she all right? Hiccup sat on the steps to his house as the sun rose and buried his face in his hands. This reminded him of what happened to his mother. She was abducted in a dragon raid, and no one had seen her for seventeen years. What if... Hiccup shoved the thought out of his mind. He'd see Astrid again, he told himself. It wouldn't be long, she was just probably caught up in the pack and gotten lost, she'd find her way back. But Hiccup knew he was pretending, trying to trick himself into calmness. It didn't work. After being together for three years, he was extremely protective of Astrid, and didn't want anything happening to her.  
Toothless sat next to Hiccup and laid his head in his master's lap. He moaned softly. "I'm sorry." Hiccup put all his weight on Toothless and rubbed the dragon's head. Hiccup sighed. "Toothless, where did they take Astrid?" Toothless groaned sadly and nudged Hiccup. "I'm sorry, I really don't know." Though Hiccup couldn't understand the dragon-speak, he knew what Toothlesss was saying. "I knew you didn't," he muttered. Stoick came up behind his son and put a hand on his shoulder. Hiccup looked away. "Son," Stoick started. "Dad! I don't know what to do anymore! I'm sorry, but no one's advice or consoling is gonna help me right now!," Hiccup snapped. Stoick sat down behind him and sighed. "I wasn't gonna say anything, son." Hiccup glanced at his father, then resumed petting Toothless. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice shaky and threatening to crack. "I just...I don't know what to do when Astrid's not here to occupy me. And, when she disappears during a dragon raid, I start to...I don't know...I just get, snappy, and, I don't even mean to. It's just 'cuz I'm scared for her, and there's just too much going on for me to handle." Stoick leaned forward to talk to Hiccup. "I know exactly how you feel, son," he said. "I was like this when your mother was abducted. Except, I had a nine-month-old baby to take care of and a village to run and protect. You don't...not yet, anyway." Hiccup stared at the ground. "I know," he sighed. "But, Astrid means more to me than anyone I'm not related to-sorry, Toothless, but you know how it is. Vikings before dragons." Toothless smiled sympathetically and rubbed his head against Hiccup. "It's okay. I understand."  
Stoick sighed exhaustedly. "Hiccup," he said. "You do whatever you feel is right in this situation. You're on your way to becoming chief, and you'll have to make these decisions throughout your life. In this case, someone you love has disappeared, and you have to do something, but you don't know what yet, exactly." Hiccup sat and thought for a minute. "I know exactly what I'm gonna do," he said determinedly. "I'm gonna find those dragons, and I'm gonna get Astrid back." "That's the spirit!," Stoick said loudly, slapping Hiccup on the back. He then walked off, leaving his son to strategize. Hiccup stared out to sea as the sun finally climbed over the horizon. His expression was one that had only rarely been seen, for Hiccup was not easy to anger. You knew if you angered him to this extent, you had made a terrible mistake. Hiccup picked up a rock and chucked it as hard as he could into the ocean. "Changewings," he muttered to himself. "You've taken the wrong Viking, and have not pleased the right Viking. You've angered the wrong person, and now you're gonna get it." Toothless looked out to sea, and the two companions had the same determined expression.  
Another pair of eyes was also watching the sun rise.  
Astrid watched from the Changewings' den. They had decided not to eat her (yet) and instead put her in a hole in the den just deep enough that she couldn't get out. Astrid rubbed her leg and stared out the hole, tears running down her face silently. "Hiccup," she whispered. "I know you're probably watching the sky like I am, and I hope you're out there, trying to figure out how to get me home. I really need you here...I only want you to hold me and tell me that I'm okay, that everything will be fine, because that's the only thing that will work." With that, Astrid started crying harder. She curled up in he back of the hole and pressed against the wall. "Please," she gasped in between sobs.  
"...please..."

Ch. 3

"Okay!," Hiccup shouted to the other riders as he attached his sword to his belt. He stuffed a map of Changewing Island in his saddle bag. "There will be a lot of Changewings, so you're all gonna have to be careful! You keep them at bay, and I'll look for Astrid. Understand?" "Sure," Snotlout said, sidling up to Ruffnut. "Don't worry, babe. I'll protect you." Ruffnut cringed and pushed Snotlout away. Hiccup rolled his eyes. "If Snotlout keeps this up we'll never have our backs covered," he muttered to himself. He hopped on Toothless. "Let's go!," he shouted. "Oh, and Snotlout, try to look ahead of you." Snotlout was staring longingly at Ruffnut. "What?" Hiccup sighed and took off. The other riders followed him out of the Academy.  
They flew for hours; how many was unknown, everyone had lost track of time. Hiccup scanned the water. It had gotten pretty stormy, and it was because winter was closing in. Snow pelted the riders' skin and wind churned up the waves, turning them into a freezing death trap. Hiccup blocked the snow with his hand, and caught the vague silhouette of an island to his right. "There's Changewing Island!," he shouted above the gale. "But," Fishlegs protested. "We can barely see! We might have to turn back!" "NO!," Hiccup shouted back. "We NEED to keep flying! I have to find Astrid!" Fishlegs sighed and kept Meatlug flying. Finally, the outline of the island became visible. Hiccup pushed Toothless forward, and the dragon struggled against the wind. The beach was starting to come into view when Snotlout spotted something. "Uh, Hiccup," he said worriedly. "What're those?" Hiccup looked up. A flock of dark objects, probably fifty strong, were speeding toward the riders. "Changewings!," Hiccup shouted, drawing his fire-sword. "Um, how many, do you think?," Fishlegs asked. "Enough that they're not bothering camouflaging themselves!," Hiccup shouted back. He pushed the button on his sword's hilt. The twin rods shot out of the actual blade and set to flame, despite the weather. Hiccup braced himself and readied his weapon. Then, a huge Changewing appeared in front of him, roaring and hissing as it got ready to fire its acid. "Toothless! Dive!," Hiccup ordered his dragon. Toothless dove toward the ocean and pulled up right as he was about to hit the water. The leveling-out was mistimed, and Toothless lost his balance and nearly plunged into an uncontrolled barrel-roll. Hiccup grabbed the side handles on the saddle and wrenched them to the side, trying to steady his dragon. Toothless wheeled around sharply and flew up to where the other riders were fighting. He charged towards the lead Changewing and shot it in the belly with a plasma blast. It screeched and whipped around to rush Toothless. He tried to avoid it, but the Changewing's acid burned through the connecting rod on the tailfin. Hiccup desperately kicked the left stirrup/rod back and forth and clicked the right stirrup, but it was no use. Toothless went down. The two crashed into the raging, freezing seas. Hiccup swam to the surface, gasping for air. The water sucked the breath out of him and squeezed his chest, forcing him to take in small breaths. "Toothless!," he coughed, water splashing into his mouth. Toothless splashed to the surface, whinnying and coughing. Hiccup swam to his dragon and held onto him, shivering horribly. He looked up at the sky. It was lit up with bursts of fire and glowing acid. The riders were still fighting the Changewings, but were losing quickly. Fishlegs tried to fly down to get Hiccup, but the Changewings puppy-guarded him, preventing rescue. Finally, the Changewings chased off the dragon riders, and Hiccup felt he was just going to die here with Toothless. However, Toothless had other plans. He flipped Hiccup onto his back and swam as fast as he could toward the shore.  
It took about half an hour, and that's way too long for even a dragon to be in ice cold water. Toothless crawled onto shore and slid Hiccup off his back. Then, he collapsed on the sand. Hiccup smiled weakly and rested his hand on Toothless's nose. "Thank you," he whispered, teeth chattering. Then, they both passed out on the shore.

Astrid shivered and rubbed her arms. She cringed backwards in the hole she was in. Hopefully the wind wouldn't pick up, or else she'd be covered in snow from an early-winter blizzard. Something like this storm happened about two years ago, when she was barely fifteen and Hiccup had been fifteen for a month. It all started with a dragon-board race...  
Astrid and Hiccup had been dragon-boarding down the mountain on Berk. A fresh layer of snow had just fallen, gently and softly. It was perfect for dragon-boarding. Astrid pulled in front of Hiccup and ordered Stormfly to shoot spines at him. He avoided them. "Hey! Astrid!," he protested. Astrid just grinned sweetly and looked over her shoulder. "Oops, did I do that?" Hiccup grinned and pulled up next to Astrid. Toothless opened his wing and waved it in Astrid's face. "Hey!," she shouted, trying to look over Toothless's wing. "Not! Fair! ACK!" This was as she noticed a branch from a tree that was rapidly approaching. It smacked her in the face, covering it with snow. She flung it off with her hand and glared at Hiccup. "So it's gonna be like THAT, huh?!," Astrid shouted. Hiccup shrugged. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said innocently, feigning ignorance. He then pulled farther ahead of Astrid. She smirked and Stormfly shot at a snowbank, exploding it and causing Hiccup to swerve. "Astrid!" She looked back at Hiccup and shrugged. "It was HER idea," she said, gesturing to Stormfly. "But, I approved!" Hiccup grinned, but looked behind him as a rumbling started. An avalanche was roaring down the mountainside, caused by Stormfly's blast. "Uh oh," Hiccup said. He tried to get Toothless flying, but the dragon couldn't get into the air. Hiccup looked at Toothless's tail. The fin was frozen shut. "His tail's frozen!," Hiccup shouted. He looked back at the avalanche. It was gaining. "Astrid!," Hiccup yelled. Astrid looked back, sensing fear in her friend's voice. She gasped at the sight of the avalanche and launched off a snowbank, Stormfly throwing wide her wings. Astrid looked down at the slope as she flew, then noticed a huge ravine that Hiccup was heading straight towards. She yelped and flew down to help him.  
Hiccup was on Toothless's tail, trying to pry the fin open. It was no use; the thing wouldn't budge. Then Astrid appeared. She leaned over and extended her hand. Hiccup waved her off. "No! Go back!" Astrid blaintantly ignored him and reached out for him nonetheless. Hiccup grabbed her hand, but it was too late. The four crashed into the ravine, buried by snow.  
"Astrid?" "Over here. Hiccup, I'm freezing." "Come here!"  
Astrid and Hiccup woke up some time later. It was dark where they were, and they couldn't see. "Where are the dragons?," Hiccup said. Then, the tiny snow cave lit up with a bluish light. "Toothless?," Hiccup said. Then it was dark again. A flash of orange, and Astrid said, "Stormfly?" These alternating bursts of fire went on about three times, and finally a hole was melted into the snow. "I see daylight!," Hiccup exclaimed joyfully. "We're gonna get out of here!," Astrid said. By this time, they hadn't noticed that their arms were wrapped around each other, trying to keep warm. "Look what they did," Hiccup said, looking up at Toothless. "They saved our lives," Astrid said. Then, they turned towards each other, and that's when it got awkward. Their noses touched and they yelped, scooting away from each other. "Wow...okay, so, that was, so...," Hiccup stammered, turning red. Astrid coughed and rubbed her arm, embarassed. "S-s-so, we're good, now," Hiccup said. "Y-yep," Astrid stuttered. "G-good as new." Then she punched Hiccup in the shoulder.  
All that to say, after Hiccup and Astrid got home, Stoick told them that a storm was coming, and a big one, too. "But it's too early," Hiccup had said. "Devastating winter isn't for another month." The storm had closed in within three days, and on the third a blizzard had destroyed the barn. The animals had to stay in the Great Hall. However, on the way there the animals got spooked by the dragons and had gotten lost. When Hiccup, Astrid, and the other teens tried to find them, it was chaos, and the animals got even more scared of the dragons. Finally, after Stoick and Gobber stopped them, everyone realized how cold they were. Everyone huddled together in a tiny group in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a white-out. The dragons had shielded everyone from the wind and breathed their fire upon the ground. Eventually the animals had become less scared of the giant reptiles and joined them.  
Astrid shivered and curled up into a tighter ball. The storm outside the hole was getting worse. The fact that it came so early reminded her of the dragon-boarding incident, which reminded her of Hiccup's quote "Devastating winter isn't for another month", which reminded her of Hiccup... Astrid shook her head to clear her mind. She needed to remain calm, and not panic or worry about how Hiccup was probably worrying about her. Then, a Changewing crawled over the hole and shifted a rock, covering the openeing slightly. It turned around and grabbed the rock, moving it so it was in just the right spot. It then flew off. "Well, at least they care about my well-being," Astrid thought. "Probably 'cuz they wanna keep me alive 'till when they're gonna eat me." She cringed against the wall and fell into a feverish sleep, the pain in her leg making her sick. She had strange dreams, and ones that made her sad, and ones that made her happy. She dreamt of being back on Berk with Hiccup and Stormfly, with no pain in her leg. Then, the dream would turn horrible again, and she'd wake up in a cold sweat. The third time this happened, she felt terrible. Astrid felt nauseous, and her leg hurt like a dragon was sinking its fangs into it while burning it at the same time. Astrid reached up and touched her forehead. It was extremely hot, and covered with sweat, but she was freezing cold. It was at this point that she realized she needed Hiccup NOW, or else. She was already sick,and getting worse. "How could a broken leg make me sick?," Astrid thought dizzily. Then she looked at her leg. For the first time since she had realized her leg was broken, she noticed a large bite mark on it. It was triangle-shaped, and Astrid got a sinking feeling. It was from a Changewing. Its acid might've seeped into the wound after it bit Astrid when she fell off Stormfly and caused her to get sick when it entered her bloodstream. Astrid moaned and closed her eyes, leaning her head against the wall.  
"Please, Thor, please just get Hiccup over here...now..."

Ch. 4

Hiccup woke up. Toothless was already awake, and had been for about two hours. He was lying next to Hiccup and staring sullenly into the fire that he had started. Hiccup sat up and crossed his arms, resting them on his knees. Toothless's ear twitched as he sensed Hiccup's consciousness and he turned to look at his master. Hiccup rubbed the dragon's head. "Thanks for starting a fire, bud," he said tiredly. "What do you wanna do? Rest a little more, or go look for Astrid?" Toothless looked at Hiccup out of the corner of his eye, then resumed staring into the flames. He stretched slightly and staggered to his feet. "I guess we're going to look for her," Hiccup said and he hopped to his feet, eager to find Astrid. He pulled the map out of the saddle bag, laying it out on a rock and pulling out his pencil. Hiccup drew a circle around the beach where they had freed Scauldy, and wrote a note to himself by it: "She could be here. Search here first. If not here, use as overnight campsite." Hiccup opened the compass on his right armband. The arrow swiveled around and settled facing north, wavering slightly. Hiccup plotted his position on the map and put away his pencil. "Come on, Toothless," he said, rolling up the map and sliding it back into the saddle bag. "Let's go to the beach where we rescued Scauldy. Astrid might be there." Toothless nodded and put out the fire with his tail. Then the two started off, heading south around the island.  
They traveled for about three hours, but Changewing Island was huge and the terrain was unpredictable. Hiccup and Toothless had gotten about halfway there when the coast ended and turned into sheer, nearly vertical black cliffs. Hiccup sighed. There was no way through the cliffs, and they certainly couldn't go over them. Unless... Hiccup turned to his dragon. "Toothless," he said. "We'll have to climb up. We can't go back around; that'll take even longer." Toothless nodded reluctantly. Hiccup pulled his dagger out from its spot on his armband and grabbed another one from the saddle bag. He chipped a little notch into the cliff and hooked his foot in. Ice coated the cliff and made it treacherous to climb; Hiccup slipped a few times and caught himself, digging his daggers into the side and pulling up with his arms alone. Toothless followed, scarring the ice with his claws. Hiccup groaned as he heaved a dagger into the cliff, and hung there for a second. He panted and looked down. He was about halfway up, and Toothless yipped at him encouragingly. Hiccup relaxed for a bit, regaining his strength. He realized that he had been climbing for probably half an hour, and he still had about three hundred feet to climb. When he looked above him, the cliff seemed to stretch higher and wiggle. Hiccup closed his eyes and shook his head. He had to keep going, no matter how dizzy he got. All of a sudden, somehing bumped him from behind. He looked down, and Toothless was trying to boost him up. Toothless tossed his head. "Come on, you can do it, keep going." Hiccup put his weight on Toothless's head and shook out his arms. Then he grasped the daggers, feeling new strength in his arms. He wrenched them out of the ice and heaved upward. The idea that Astrid was out there somewhere drove him onward. The ice splintered and chipped, the blades chunked into the cliff, and Hiccup gained altitude. "Come on," he muttered. "Come on. Astrid needs you, keep going." Every foot gained was another chance at saving Astrid. Hiccup felt closer to her with every lunge made with his arms. This cliff wouldn't get in his way; he wouldn't let it. Though his arms ached and his hands were numb and the snow pelted against his back, he pressed on. The wind howled at him, screeching for him to give up, to let go, to fall down into the icy waters, but Hiccup held firm and pushed through the cold, willing to risk anything to make sure Astrid was safe. At one point, the wind ripped his hand from the left dagger and he swung to the side, nearly falling off. He struggled against the wind and grabbed hold of the dagger again. Hiccup moved up a few feet and dug his dagger into the ice, but it smarted off the surface and Hiccup slid downward. Toothless yelped and hurried upward, but Hiccup had regained his footing and was moving steadily ahead.  
Finally, the top of the cliff came into view. Hiccup gasped with joy and quickened his pace. He pulled himself to the top and stood up. He could see for miles all around, and the wind buffeted furiously at him, but nothing could knock Hiccup over now. He was at the top of the world, his dragon by his side, the snow pelting his skin, and saving Astrid on his mind. Hiccup looked down. The cliff eased out into a gentle slope, and a well-worn game trail wound its way through a young deciduous forest. A meadow interrupted the trees and tall, gold grass fluttered in the wind. Hiccup grinned. "Let's follow the game trail, Toothless. Where there's food, there's predators, and those predators are Changewings." Toothless nodded tiredly and the two companions headed down the trail.

Astrid sneezed. Not only was the infection spreading, but it was weakening her immune system and she was catching a cold in this weather. Astrid glanced weakly out the hole; snow was falling gently and the moon peeked out from behind the clouds. Astrid felt a tickling sensation in her nose and sneezed forcefully. She rubbed her arms and shivered. Just then, the face of a baby Changewing appeared in the hole. Astrid stared at it curiously, and it wore much the same expression. When Astrid shivered again, the dragonet cocked its head and crawled into the hole. It laid its head on Astrid's lap and curled up under her arm, purring sympathetically. Astrid tentatively rubbed the Changewing's head. It was very warm, and Astrid instantly felt a little better. "Thank you," she whispered to the baby dragon. "Stay here until Hiccup comes." Then, the alpha Changewing stuck its head through the hole. Its face softened at the sight of Astrid's condition. It crawled into the hole and laid down on the other side of Astrid. It nuzzled her, and its eyes said, "I'm sorry about everything we did to you." Astrid grinned weakly. Two Smokebreaths flew in, and the alpha Changewing snapped at them. They shied away for a second, then dropped something at Astrid's feet. Her shoulder pads. Astrid picked them up and looked at the Smokebreaths suspiciously. When they merely stared back, she attached the shoulder pads back onto her shoulders. The Smokebreaths flew off, and the two Changewings laid with Astrid for a bit longer. Then the alpha picked up the sleeping dragonet and started to leave, giving Astrid one last look before leaving. Astrid curled up into a ball again and shivered horribly, realizing just how sick she was. It had only been a day, but it seemed like a week and her condition was deteriorating. Astrid felt as if she was entirely alone in this world, but she knew she wasn't. She knew that Hiccup was out there, looking for her desperately, and she was right.  
Finally, Astrid fell into a feverish, miserable sleep.

Ch. 5

"Oh, where is he? All he had to do was find Astrid; it shouldn't have taken this long. He's been gone for two days now!"  
Stoick was pacing around the Great Hall, muttering to himself. "We told you, sir," Fishlegs said. "We tried to help, but the Changewings burned through Toothless's connecting rod and wouldn't let any of us get to Hiccup and Toothless. Hiccup probably swam ashore with Toothless and went to look for Astrid by himself." "Well, we need to help the lad!," Stoick said decidedly. "Um," Gobber said. "We can't. Number one, look outside. Does that look like flying weather to you? And two, Hiccup probably wants, scratch that, NEEDS, to find Astrid by himself. You know how he is; there are a lot of things he does better alone, and he's using a few of those while finding Astrid: mapping, logic, and searching. Remember when he lost his helmet somewhere in his room, and you offered to help, and he rejected you, saying, 'Sorry, dad. I need to be alone when I look for it, otherwise I have more help than I actually need, and it's just plain easier.' That's what's happening here. He can't have help from anyone, he has to be alone and in silence where he can use his own ideas and inferences." Stoick sighed and sat down. "I know," he said. "That's the problem. I want to help him, but I also want him to gain chiefing experience. Except, his personality is almost too independent, and, as a father, I don't want that yet." Gobber laid a hand on his friend's shoulder. "He'll be fine, Stoick. Thor only knows how, but he always makes it out all right. Every time he's almost been killed, he's turned up better than a mere nerve-racking experience. Don't worry." Stoick sighed again. "It's hard not to," he said. "When you're a father...I worry about him all the time, despite the fact that he's always okay in the end...Thor only knows how."

Hiccup and Toothless walked along the game trail. The maples lining it were still leaved, as this year seemed to have skipped fall and went straight into winter. The snow drifted gently through the branches, settling on Hiccup and Toothless's shoulders. Hiccup knelt in the snow and examined the prints on the trail. There were deer and rabbits and wild sheep and various wild fowl, but there were also a set of reptilian tracks. They were large and wide, and pointed inward as if pigeon-toed, and they had four long, triangle-shaped toes. "Changewings," Hiccup muttered. He looked around cautiously; these tracks were fresh. He resumed walking, and Toothless followed, ears pricked. It was silent here, and that wasn't a good thing. Even the wind didn't howl like it used to. It was as if the forest was holding its breath... Suddenly, something rustled the bushes. Hiccup whipped around and drew his sword. It sounded like there were at least seven...well, whatever they were. Hiccup and Toothless stood absolutely still and breathed silently. Whatever was stalking them circled them, trying to scare them. Trees swayed and snow billowed, but nothing was there. Or was there?... Something shot across the trail in front of Hiccup, stirring up clouds of snow, but remaining unseen. Hiccup inched toward the area where the creature had crossed and examined the tracks. "Just as I suspected," he thought. "Changewings, who are currently stalking us. Just great." Hiccup stood up slowly and pressed the button on the sword's hilt. The Changewings in the bushes panted like dogs, their breath raspy and stiff. One barked like a wolf, and the others responded with howls that were equally wolf-like. The fire on Hiccup's sword blazed, and so did the fire in his heart; these creatures had taken Astrid, and it wasn't going to end well for them. Hiccup grabbed the sword with his other hand, increasing leverage, and braced himself. Then, a Changewing unveiled itself and launched itself at Hiccup. Hiccup ducked, and the Changewing flew over his head, missing him by an inch. The others appeared and started attacking. Hiccup held them back, brandishing his fire-sword in their long, narrow, triangle-shaped faces. One shot acid at Hiccup, and he burned the acid with the fire. Then he quickly reached into his boot and pulled out a small package of something. Smirking, he pressed a small button on the side and tossed it into the ring of Changewings. Once it landed, green gas started seeping out of the hole in the side. The Changewings sniffed it curiously. Then, Hiccup waved his fire-sword in the gas, and it blew up, creating a wall of fire that scared the Changewings half to death and sent them running. Hiccup had jumped backwards just as the flames touched the gas, and he was now kneeling in the snow with Toothless's wings around him. He peeked out the dragon's wings, and the Changewings had retreated. The fire didn't last long in the snow, and was starting to splutter and die out. Hiccup grinned and tossed snow on the rest of it, heading down the trail once more. They emerged into the meadow, and Hiccup looked at the sky. It was early morning, and, though clouds covered most of the atmosphere, some sun peeked out here and there. Snow fell gently, and Hiccup thought of all the winters he had spent with Astrid. Hiccup sighed. Where on this Thor-forsaken island was she? The island couldn't be THAT big. It certainly didn't look proportionally big on the map. But then, even Hiccup's maps weren't always accurate. He looked at the ground as he walked. The snow crunched under his feet, and, though not exactly a powerful example, it reminded him that he could do and overcome anything to help Astrid. Hiccup managed to smile weakly, but retained a firm, sullen, almost depressed expression. Toothless nudged him and looked at him sympathetically. Hiccup rubbed Toothless's head absent-mindedly. "Toothless, do you think she's all right?," he said. For once, Toothless didn't know what to do to comfort Hiccup. Astrid could be in any state of health, really. This island was crawling with Changewings, and they had a pack of Smokebreaths expecting a free, easy meal that they didn't have to work for. The Changewings almost certainly had Astrid hostage; a herd of deer wouldn't be wanting to eat her, and she had more than enough intelligence to know that she shouldn't be wandering around aimlessly in this weather. Toothless glanced at the ground. Hiccup sighed. "I don't know, either. I really hope she's okay. And, where is she? This place makes me so frustrated; she could be anywhere, really." The two walked in silence. A magpie flew overhead and squawked a mournful, nasal trio of "mags" into the stiff winter air. Toothless watched it, and bumped into Hiccup. He had stopped dead in his tracks and was staring at something on the ground. He crouched down and picked it up. His hands shook as he brought it up to examine it. It was Astrid's headband. The metal sequins glinted as the sun peeked out from behind the clouds. Hiccup sank to his knees in the snow and closed his eyes, tilting his head up to the sky. Toothless sat next to him and sniffed the headband. He growled low in his throat. The headband smelled of Changewings and blood, though there was none on it. The acrid, salty smell was faint, and the blood was probably somewhere else on Astrid, Toothless noted. "That's not necessarily the best thing that the blood is somewhere else."  
Hiccup drew in a deep, shaky breath through his nose and opened his eyes, looking at Toothless. Toothless looked back at Hiccup, and he wore a worried expression that creased his scaly brow. Hiccup sensed that something wasn't right, and he jumped to his feet, holding the headband in his hand so tight that his knuckles were white. "Astrid's in trouble," Hiccup said. "We need to find her, NOW!"

Astrid tightened into a ball. Her leg hurt like heck, and a migraine attacked her brain. She was sobbing, everything hurt so bad. She wrapped her arms around her head, and that's when she realized that something was missing. She stopped crying and felt around her head. The headband was gone, her precious headband that her uncle Finn had given her before he died. Astrid remembered the moment so clearly. "Fearless" Finn Hofferson, on his deathbed, with Astrid and the rest of the Hofferson clan surrounding him. Astrid had been about ten at the time, and she revered her uncle. He had taken on the Flightmare without batting an eyelash, and, when he was about to move on, Astrid took it hard. She had been kneeling by the bed, bawling for her uncle not to leave. He had simply grinned weakly, with tears running down his cheeks. "Do me a favor, lass," he said. "Carry on what I've done for our family. In my opinion, you'll always be the strongest in our family. That's why I'm asking you to do this. You'll restore honor to us, and I know that you're destined to gain a leading role in this tribe, right up next to the chief. You'll be his most trusted warrior, and you'll have a say in everything he does. You might even become a good friend of his, despite your dislike for him now. So, just trust me, Astrid. As I leave you now, know that I'll always be with you. This is only temporary, so, in the meantime, wear this and remember me, okay?" Finn handed Astrid the headband, and she slid it on, and her bangs fell over her eye for the first time. Finn brushed her bangs out of the way and smiled. "I'll miss you," Astrid whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. Finn grinned and Astrid's father put a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Come, Astrid," he said, smiling sadly. "Go with momma. I want to speak with my brother." Astrid stood back and her mother put an arm around her. Astrid's father spoke with Finn for a few moments, and then stood back. Finn smiled and laid his head back. His eyes closed and he heaved a sigh, the last one he'd ever breathe. After that, Astrid had always made sure that her headband was with her, for it made her feel as if her uncle was there and watching over her. Her heart had always been reluctant to love, for fear she'd lose it the way she lost her uncle. But, when she went on that first flight with Hiccup, the last person she wanted to hang around with, everything changed. So, Astrid was trusting that Hiccup would show up at any moment, with her headband. She couldn't stand it if she lost the headband. Then, a new wave of pain surged upward and her head felt as if Meatlug was sitting on it. Astrid yelped and cringed backward, but it was no use. The tears started again and the pain became too much to bear. She felt dizzy and light-headed, and she almost passed out. Suddenly, the pain stopped, and Astrid heard something, an old quote, bouncing through her head. It was from Hiccup. "You'll be fine...I'll come back...eventually..." That line echoed through her brain, and another quote joined it. "You'll always be the strongest in our family...I'll always be with you...this is only temporary..." Finn's voice was so clear to Astrid, it was as if he was really there. Astrid opened her eyes. Her head didn't hurt anymore, and, though her leg was a little sore, it wasn't burning. Two random memories, one of Hiccup when he had to hide Toothless during that horrible lightning storm, and one of her uncle before he passed away, helped Astrid for the moment. She looked out the hole. The way the sun was showing from behind the clouds told her it was about noon, and it was then that she realized how hungry she was. It had been three days. She had collected snow and melted it to drink, but didn't pay attention to food. Then, a Changewing poked its head through the hole and provided Astrid with a bunch of edible berries, probably salmon berries. Astrid grabbed the twig and plucked the berries from it, eating them one at a time. She would eat with manners no matter who was watching her or how hungry she was. The Changewing smiled sympathetically and left. Astrid finished the last of the berries and leaned against the wall. Her leg had started to burn again, but she didn't care anymore.  
"Hiccup's coming. Don't worry. He'll be here."

Ch. 6

Hiccup ran through the meadow, Tooothless hot on his heels. The meadow was huge; it was now twilight, and they were still only two-thirds across the meadow. Hiccup had been running for twelve hours straight, and he hadn't even stopped to rest once. He sensed that Astrid was in trouble, but not danger. It was danger to her health, but it wasn't from dragons. That's why Hiccup was running. He had to get to her before she got worse, and he was already starting to run out of time. Along the way, he had found a stick that would serve well as a connecting rod for Toothless's fin, but he wouldn't attach it until he found Astrid.  
Hiccup stumbled through the snow and the snow pelted his skin, but he didn't stop. Toothless had tried to stop several times, but Hiccup had just kept running, and so Toothless had to endure this. Finally, Hiccup came to the edge of the meadow. He looked down a slope and recognized the earthquake rubble that had trapped Scauldy two years ago. Hiccup skidded down the hill, his prosthetic smarting off the rocks and kicking up pepples. A few Changewings jumped out of the rubble and hissed at him, but Toothless intercepted them. "Stop! He's just looking for someone, not trying to hurt you!" A Changewing cocked his head. "That little human the alpha decided not to eat?" "Yes!," Toothless said. "She's here?" The Changewing nodded. "Follow me." Toothless ran after him, and Hiccup followed, saying, "Toothless! What are you doing?!" The Changewing arrived at a half-covered hole and moved the rock. Hiccup understood what was going on and he jumped into the hole.  
"HICCUP!" "ASTRID!"  
Hiccup ran over to her and Astrid threw her arms around him, sobbing joyfully. Hiccup knelt down and hugged her back, holding her tight. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I shouldn't have sent you after the Smokebreaths. This is all my fault." "No, it's not!," Astrid objected. "Don't you EVER say that!" "No, it's true," Hiccup said, pulling away to look Astrid in the eye. "I sent you after them, you got kidnapped-what happened to your leg?!" Astrid started to explain, but Hiccup interrupted. "Never mind that now. We have to get you home, you look terrible!" He picked Astrid up and Toothless pulled them out of the hole. Hiccup attached the makeshift connecting rod to the fin and hopped on Toothless, Astrid in his arms. Toothless took off, flying as fast as he could towards Berk.

Stoick burst through the front door as Hiccup landed. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Astrid. She had gone completely pale and was unconscious. Hiccup ran to his father, carrying Astrid. "Dad! She's hurt bad and the infection has made her sick!," Hiccup said. Stoick nodded numbly and ran with Hiccup to Gobber's house. As the blacksmith, vet, and doctor of the village, Gobber was the one to visit. Stoick threw open the door, and Hiccup ran in. Gobber was there right away. "What happened?," he asked proffesionally as Hiccup laid Astrid on the bed. "She broke her leg when she got thrown off Stormfly, and then a Changewing bit that leg," Hiccup said quietly, wringing his hands. Gobber frowned. "Bit by a Changewing, huh?" Hiccup nodded. "Their teeth are extremely sharp, and can cause a deadly infection." Hiccup went white and glanced at Astrid. "But," Gobber said, limping into the next room. "I can treat the infection. Hold on and I'll grab something for it." A few tantalizing moments later, Gobber returned from the back room with a bandage, some sort of medical creme, and medicine. He wrapped up Astrid's leg after putting the creme on it and then tilted her head forward. Since she was prone, Gobber had to somehow make her swallow the medicine. I have no idea how, but he did. Gobber laid a blanket gently over Astrid and turned to Hiccup. "She'll be fine, Hiccup," he said. "Luckily we caught the infection early. Within a few days, she'll be back to her old self and her leg will heal up in a week or two. It wasn't a bad break; see, it's only slightly swollen. She'll be able to walk on it, but it'll hurt a little." Gobber and Stoick left the room, and Hiccup watched them leave. Then he pulled out the headband and slid it gently over Astrid's head, pulling her bangs out of the way as he did so. He stood back and heaved a sigh of relief, knowing Astrid would be okay. He then tip-toed silently out of the room and quietly pulled the door closed behind him. As soon as it shut, Astrid grinned contentedly in her sleep.  
Hiccup walked home, Toothless following. On the way, Hiccup realized how tired he was. He hadn't slept for the past three days and was running around the entire time. As he headed up the stairs to his room, he tripped on his sword sheath. Hiccup glanced at it, wondering how he could make the sword less cumbersome. An idea popped into his mind. Maybe he could get rid of the blade completely and only have the two rods with fire. He could make them in the shape of a sword, but have the space in between them. They would telescope out of each other, and vise versa when retracting them. Hiccup grinned and nodded, and headed into his room. He threw the sword on the desk and crawled into bed, falling asleep instantly.

Ch. 7

Hiccup barged into the smithy. "Is she awake yet?!" Gobber laughed. "Go see for yourself, lad." Hiccup had barely opened the door when Astrid barreled into him and wrapped her arms around him in a gigantic hug. "Thank you!," she said tearfully. "Thank you! Thank you!" Hiccup hugged her back. "Good to see you're okay," he said. "You're back to your old self-" Before he could say any more, Astrid reached up and gave him a tender kiss on the lips. When she pulled away, Hiccup swayed dizzily. "Aaaaaand, that's back, too..." Astrid laughed and shoved Hiccup out the door. Despite her leg, she ran after Hiccup, pelting him with snowballs. He threw some back at her over his shoulder, but she soon had him on his back in the snow laughing uncontrollably. Astrid came up and sat on Hiccup's stomach. "Just because I have a bum leg doesn't mean I can't sack you in a snowball fight," she smirked. Hiccup grinned. "Look who's talking," he said. "At least you still HAVE your leg; you didn't lose it." Astrid laughed and dumped an armload of snow on his face. Hiccup yelped. "Thor, that's cold!," he swore. He flung some snow at Astrid, who gave a short scream and threw it back at him. Then she jumped up and started running through the snow again, Hiccup chasing after her. They pelted each other with snowballs for about half an hour before lying on their backs in the snow, staring up at the gray, snowflake-filled sky. Astrid stuck out her tongue and caught a rather large snowflake on it. Hiccup did the same. "This is fun," Astrid said after a while. "Yeah," Hiccup agreed. Then Astrid grinned. "Yak-nog, anyone?" Hiccup laughed. "Not THAT again! Besides, even if people DID like it, we couldn't have it 'till Snoggletog," he said. Astrid feigned an indignant gasp. "What do you mean, 'even if they DID like it'?! You have insulted me," she said good-naturedly. "Aw, oh well," Hiccup shrugged. "I guess you'll have to just deal with it." Just then, someone screeched, "Smokebreaths! We're being invaded by Smokebreaths!" A cloud of smke was flying around the village and scaring people. Hiccup looked at Astrid. "I think we'll just sit this one out," he said. Astrid laughed and they jumped up, running off into the forest.

"I can do all things, through Christ who gives me strength."  
- Psalms...unknown verse ;3


End file.
